There are many different types of soil – over 70,000 in the United States alone! Get to know the soil in your garden and find out more about how you can improve it for the next growing season.
It’s time to take a closer look at your soil. Is it sandy or silty? Is it mostly clay? You may need to build it up to give your plants the best chance to thrive. Head outside and make some observations.
Get to Know Soil Types
Sandy
Sandy soil is just about what it sounds like: it’s coarse, crumbly, and will run loosely through your fingers.
Clay
Clay soil is slippery, sticky, and can be easily formed into a tight ball in your hand.
Silt
Silt soil is a mixture of sandy and clay. It feels soft, and you can form it into a smooth ball in your hand when wet.
Loam
Loam, the Goldilocks soil type, is crumbly, but not too crumbly. It’s soft, but not too soft. Loam soil a “just right” combination of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. It’s the best for gardening.
How Do I Amend Garden Soil?
Depending on the type of soil you have, you may want to amend your garden area with topsoil and compost to reach the ideal loamy texture. In fact, most gardens can benefit from the addition of compost. Follow the formulas at the end of this post for how to calculate the amount of soil and compost to add to raised beds or in-ground plots.
You can purchase compost from your local garden center or start making on your own. Learn how to begin a compost pile by checking out this article by Linda Naeve of Iowa State University Extension.
When Should I Start Amending Soil?
Add amendments to garden soil in the fall so the organic materials will break down over the fall and winter. Don’t worry if you didn’t get your amendments in during the fall, springtime is an excellent time to give your soil a boost, too.
Testing Soil pH
The pH of your garden soil influences the availability of nutrients that are essential to plant growth. The sweet spot for most vegetable crops is a pH between 6 (slightly acidic) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline). You can learn more about changing the pH in your soil here.
Find out more soil testing information specific to your area by reaching out to a nearby extension office.
Soil testing won’t be necessary if you’re building raised beds. Simply fill them with your own mixture of 50% topsoil and 50% compost. Follow the formulas below to calculate your needs.
Calculating Soil Needs for Raised Beds or In-Ground Garden Plots
Find the cubic yardage of your soil or compost needs for raised beds or in-ground garden plot with the following formula (see the graphic below!)
Step one: Gather the following measurements.
- height (in inches) of the space that needs filled
- length of the garden (in feet)
- width of the garden (in feet)
Divide the number for height (in inches) by 12. Height (inches) / 12 = Height (feet)
Step Two: Multiply.
Multiply the length of the garden (in feet) by the width (in feet) by the height (feet). This will give you the total volume of your garden area. Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Height (ft) = Volume (cubic feet)
Step Three: Divide.
Divide your volume in cubic feet by 27. This will give you the total cubic yards needed for soil and compost amendments.
Important: When adding filler to a new raised bed or amending existing soil in an in-ground plot, your cubic yardage should be a mixture of 50% topsoil and 50% compost. Divide your cubic yardage by two to know precise amounts for each.
Extend the Learning About Your Soil – Messy Activities for Kids
Getting to know your soil is a fun process to do with your children. Check out these extra activities you can do to extend the learning:
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